


I hate to love you

by lesbianbey



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Gina Porter, F/F, Mutual Pining, Pre-Femslash, also ricky makes an appearance cause I love him too, even the robotics guy I like, i don’t think there is a character I hate, lezbehonest gay genes exist so nini is a fat lesbian, references to the show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianbey/pseuds/lesbianbey
Summary: gina hates most things. nini liked most things.
Relationships: Gina Porter/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 6
Kudos: 56





	1. part une

**Author's Note:**

> I swore up and down years ago that writing disney was not gonna happen again but this show is miles better than the entire trilogy and i’m just a big ball of gay. also I haven’t watched the recent episode because well, reasons
> 
> also I tried to keep it as pg as possible but that didn’t work out. so some cuss words. ok there’s like one cause big red use hell in the first episode so it don’t count

gina hated most things.

  1. she hated straight people. ok, _maybe_ she had a thing for ricky (who may or may not be straight cause reasons) but that’s what being bi is all about...right???
  2. she hated her mother’s job. _that_ was a given.
  3. oh, she hated nini.

but what she hated most of all, was _losing_. she lost everything, from having a social life, to staying in one freaking place...and being gabriella. that’s why she goes hard, because next week her mom will be moving to some other place (most likely the middle of nowhere) and it would just be square one, all over again.

her father, she doesn’t talk about much, but she wishes he existed so that she can ride out the rest of her formative years in one place. maybe a grandparent or two, somewhere...preferably new york city because it’s pretty lights, and man, she _loves_ pretty lights.

back to number three of the things she hated. yeah. she doesn’t _really_ hate nini, she just hates how much she likes her. back when they had a petty war, gina realized that her competition is...actually, kinda adorable.

ok, _really_ adorable. 

she had to keep both chaddy mcchad away from her, and also keep her short lived crush away from her too. but they’re real life troyella — _gag_ — and everyone can see it.

maybe not for long though.

there’s a knock on the door. that’s the last time she’s trusting anyone from knowing where she lives. ugh. one time she lets a person escort her home from a shitty homecoming and suddenly people visit whenever they want.

gina peers through the window, scoffs, then opens the door while nini has her back turned, probably trying to rehearse what she wants to say. adorable. “what the _hell_ are you doing here?” she asks.

“ah!” nini yelps, and is about to fall when gina catches her in time. it looks like those trust exercises that miss jenn made them do worked out...somehow. “uh...sorry...we kind of missed you at school and ricky gave me your address—“

“yeah, i’m aware,” she sighs, then helps nini get back to her feet. “you tell him to keep his mouth shut and he does the exact opposite.”

“yeah, he’s always been that way,” she says. “also I persuaded him and big red to say something. guess who has to drink a gallon of ranch dressing tomorrow?”

gina raises an eyebrow. “i’m gonna ask again. _why are you here?_”

“cut the bullshit act, gina,” nini snaps, making gina widen her eyes. “I know you aren’t as tough as you seem. plus it’s just us two. just...stop. we’ve gotten too far to go back to first day animosity.”

“I lied to you,” gina spits out. “I was the one who took the phone and I made it seem like your boyfriend took it when I gave it to him.”

“I know. i’m not dumb.” there’s some silence. “listen. I know you’re bummed out about this whole situation where you have to move again, but it doesn’t have to be the end of...whatever this is. you’ve made friends here, and while we are immensely sad to see you go, we understand...and it doesn’t mean you can cut us off forever. social media exists for a reason.”

“yeah but...you don’t understand. this is _constant_. I’m _always_ moving. one time I had to move, one day before I had my one-month-anniversary with my ex-girlfriend.”

“at least you didn’t tell her you loved her on instagram and she dumped you,” she chuckles.

gina chuckles back. “yeah, what was ricky thinking??” 

“it worked out for the best...kind of,” she claims. “he probably would’ve distracted me long enough for you to play gabriella.”

“I don’t think so.”

nini shrugs. “I definitely think so. he wouldn’t have realized that being in theater is actually fun, and probably some other guy would play troy. I mean, it wouldn’t suck if you were the leading lady, but…”

“it would suck if anyone else played the leading man.”

“yeah.”

gina silently agrees. she honestly should be getting ready to leave but she’s glued to the front of her house, with someone she hated to love, talking like they’ve been friends forever. why weren’t they friends? or that ‘something more’ that gina only dreams about, hoping to be the troy to nini’s gaby, singing duets and getting closer in the face until she feels nini’s lips—

“I didn’t peg you for a daydreamer,” she says, waving a hand in gina’s face. gina reflexively takes nini’s hand, and there it is, a _spark_, strong enough to nini to pull away first. “uh, sorry for that.”

gina isn’t sure if she was referring to the hand in her face or for the ‘rude’ hand snatching. “it’s ok. I have to go uh, pack for this trip. my mom hates when I am behind on my chores.”

“yeah, understandable…” nini scratches her neck, and grimaces. “hey, uh, do you need some help? maybe? i’m kind of bored and kourtney is busy tonight at church. plus, it cuts time in half!” she sing-songs the last sentence, wiggling her hips and giving gina the hopeless of looks. 

and gina is seconds away from not considering it. sadly and gratefully, no one else offered. she only smiles and opens the door wide. “sure.”


	2. part deux

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, this is the LAST one. seriously.

nini liked most things. 

  1. she liked kourtney and ashlyn’s voices the most out of everyone in the cast.
  2. she liked how her moms (and of course seb and carlos) live their lives with zero care in the world. she kinda-sorta wishes that was her but _shhhhhhhh_
  3. she liked how her and ricky look at each other like support even though they broke up.
  4. she liked the way gina dances.
  5. she liked gina’s hair.
  6. she liked gina’s passions, her admirations, and her sneakers. those are really good sneakers.

(that got outta hand _fast_.)

what nini liked most of all was the spotlight. not to be the center of attention, but when the light shines on her, she’s transported into a moment of bliss, like she’s the only person n the room and she’s singing like there’s no audience, only there is. it’s a wonderful feeling. it’s even better than getting gabriella montez.

(even though her on-stage boyfriend is her ex and his understudy is her crappier ex.) 

she hated lying though — she couldn’t tell gina the real reason why she showed up because it would just ruin everything, so she made up a lie about ranch dressing. nini loved ranch dressing, especially on pizza (_fight her_), but not that much to lie about it. still. the real reason is something she’s hidden ever since she broke up with ej.

showing up at gina’s doorstep all started with a conversation with ricky.

-

“do you have gina’s address?”

ricky stares at her with a cautious eye raise. “sure? who’s asking?”

“me. I wanna talk to her,” nini days honestly, then bats her eyes a couple times. “come on. she leaves tomorrow.”

“but why? you hate her.”

“no I don’t.” where did anyone get the impression that nini hates _anyone_? “I never hated her. why would you assume—you know what? that isn’t important. just give me her address. I know you know it.”

almost as if he senses something, he gives nini one of his introspective looks. great. “there’s more to this story.”

“I forgot to rightfully apologize when I stole all of her shit,” she swiftly lies. she did apologize, but that isn’t the point. “I’ll explain later. come on, just cough it up, or i’m calling ej—“

“that dick doesn’t know anything,” ricky laughs. nini finds it impossible that her best friend is still jealous of some asshole but she isn’t going to digress. at least, not now. “tell you what. I’ll give you the address...if you tell me the real reason.” 

“I—you—but—“ nini lets out a loud, long groan. “_fine_.” she casts her head down and mumbles the next sentence.

“what was that?”

nini glares at her ex-boyfriend turned friend turned general annoyance. “i’m in love with her and I need to tell her before she leaves for the east coast.”

ricky is completely taken aback. “_what?_” he repeats.

“you heard what I said, bowen. now give me the goddamn address.” ricky shakes his head a couple times and pulls out his phone, composing a message. after he locks his phone, nini gets a notification. “thanks.”

“so you’re a—“

“i am _not_ having this talk with someone who covers his crush on ej with hate,” nini replies, making ricky blush angrily and walk the other direction. yeah, she couldn’t resist.

-

so she’s here now, not really helping much while gina packs up a bunch of playbills she’s collected over the years and some other stuff she isn’t really embarrassed about. nini is distracted by the pictures, including one where it looks like a series of photo booth pictures with carlos. “you seem to do a lot more snooping and a lot less helping,” gina speaks up, once again making nini jump. jeez, is she _really_ scared of this girl? “i guess I’ll allow it because company is nice.”

“glad you caught on,” nini quips. “uh, do you know where you’re going next? all we got was the east and well, the east is vague.”

“no news, to be honest,” gina replies. “all I know is that it is going to suck, and I can’t even play taylor for two seconds.”

“hm.” nini gets bored and starts to unclip the pictures from the strong of clothespins. “why?”

“I’m confused. why what?”

“why did you take my phone?”

there’s a shared silence that turns tensioned real quick and nini is wondering if she said something wrong. should she have asked? like, nini always knew because it seemed suspect all this time since it seemed too easy that ej admitted it so swiftly, but knowing why is a mystery. “because...i wanted to distract you. it worked for a while, I guess. I’m not even sure anymore because like you said earlier, we’ve come a long way.”

“yeah but...you could’ve been honest.”

“I could’ve, but you were stealing my shit and you’re cute when you’re flustered so I ran with it.”

nini whips her head around. did she hear that right? “I hope you know I heard that.”

“I know, it was intentional. I might as well admit it since i’m leaving, or are you forgetful as well as clumsy?”

nini feels her cheeks getting red, but she isn’t sure it’s because from secondhand embarrassment or that her first girl crush (_ever_) admitted that she’s cute. either way, she’s blushing and she can not control it. “you think i’m cute.”

“and _now_ I regret admitting that.” and now gina’s cheeks are flushed. “that shouldn’t be your takeaway.”

“yeah, but still. I—no girl has ever called me cute...except for kourtney but she’s my bestie and I expect that from her...and my moms, if they count.” nini steps closer to gina who is going through a drawer. “and if we’re being honest...you should know that…” gina raises her head at a perfect time, and they are staring at each other in a deep silence, almost if they’re communicating their feelings telepathically, but not really. 

(maybe.)

a ring interrupts them. “hold that thought.” gina grabs her phone and picks it up. “hello? hey mom...yeah i’m almost done…”

saved by the phone. nini racks her brain now that gina is completely distracted. that admittance earlier threw her so off track that she can barely get her thoughts together. of course it did, since a pretty girl called her cute, and not just _any_ pretty girl. _gina porter _did. 

no. gina was right earlier; that shouldn’t be her takeaway. she’s here to tell gina she loves her. that’s it. nothing more, nothing less. what’s so hard about that? she admitted to ricky that she loved him and, well, that didn’t turn out right. maybe _that’s_ why she can’t admit it to gina?

but she knows gina feels the same way, if that moment outside where their hands touched and there was a spark. at least her feelings aren’t one sided. but, it’s different. maybe it’s because gina is a girl? but if it’s like being with a guy, then...it should be easy and not heart thumping and anxiety ridden like it is right now. like with her guy crushes.

“ok. love you, bye.” gina ends the call and then looks at nini expectantly. “what was it that you wanted to tell me?”

nini blinks and almost freezes. “...shit, uh, I just...hope you have a good trip, is all.”

gina looks at nini, knowing that _definitely_ wasn’t it, but she just relents. “thank you, I think.”

(dj khaled voice: congrats nini, you played yourself.)

“no,” nini sighs. “that isn’t what I wanted to say, and you knew it, but I can’t find the _fucking_ words right now—“

“nini—“

“and instead of beating around the bush and getting my tongue tied like how I usually am with you, I’ll just show you. yeah. that’ll work.” nini simply grabs gina’s hand, pulls her in, and kisses her. 

nothing else is said, not even a peek, for a moment. time stands still. neither girl moves, for the first second at least. nini suddenly gets scared and pulls away, hoping she didn’t screw up but braces herself for a slap in the face. yup, she deserves that. it’s 2019, and consent is mad sexy, even if it’s just two girls. duh.

“nini, look at me.”

it’s now that nini realizes her eyes are closed and she’s facing away. well, _no shit_. she sighs and glances at gina for a quick second, only realizing it’s not terrible but gina’s unreadable expression isn’t relieving her anxiety. seriously, why is nini scared of this girl? she isn’t even a bully by a long shot. she’s just intimidating, and sure, it makes nini all the more intrigued but at the same time, she feels weird, like she knows gina is capable of murder if someone crosses her.

like sharpay.

with a heavy sigh, gina grabs both of nini’s hands. “hi. it’s ok. i’m _not_ going to murder you.”

“did I say that out loud?”

“no, it’s your body language.” gina then gives her a wide smile. “hey. listen, seriously it’s ok—“

“so you don’t like me back?” nini inquires.

“I...think, I kinda you know,” she giggles. “I’m not saying I don’t love you—“

“_stop_,” nini laughs, and just like that, the tension from earlier is gone. “ok. i’m sorry.”

“don’t be sorry, but I’d like for you to use your words next time instead of trying to bruise my lips,” gina replies. “and if you _ever_ kiss me like that again, you _better_ give it your all. like this.” gina pulls nini closer and kisses her, which is way more passionate than before. nini of course kisses back, and they’re both standing there, practically making out in a semi-empty room, but at least she told her the truth, right?

(ok, partially. but still. it counts.)

when they both part, there’s only a small trail of spit, that neither of them care about. nini only stares for a couple seconds, then chuckles. she barely misses gina staring at her fondly as she laughs away in relief.


End file.
